


Not a Predator

by Strangertd



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 05:48:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16079711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strangertd/pseuds/Strangertd
Summary: Takes place sometime within the week after On My WayA single comment from Finn brings on a confrontation from Kurt on internalized homophobia he's been feeling from  home.





	Not a Predator

“Ugh, he’s so gorgeous.” Kurt huffs at the screen of his phone, gaining curious glances from Finn, Burt, and Carole, who are dispersed around the living room. Blaine rests his head on Kurt’s shoulder to see what he’s looking at, giving a hum of agreement when he sees the picture of Liam Hemsworth.

“He is pretty hot. Too bad he’s with Miley Cyrus.” Blaine says, watching as Kurt scrolls through Liam’s instagram post, giving a grunt of agreement.

“What is it with gay people and always being attracted to straight people?” Finn asks, and Kurt’s head shoots up, glaring at him.

“Finn…” Carole warns, but it’s too late. Kurt’s giving him that glare, and Finn’s turning from his spot on the recliner to face them.

“What do you mean by that, Finn?” Kurt asks, icy eyes tearing into Finn’s, and Blaine rests his hand on Kurt’s thigh, to try and calm him. Sure, what Finn said was kinda fucked up, but Blaine is willing to let it go for the sheer fact that Finn is still pretty uneducated- but Kurt won’t. Kurt will educate him  _ now _ .

“I’m just saying.” Finn shrugs, “Like, you went after me which was super weird, you went after Sam, Blaine went after Rachel. Now you’re freaking out over Liam Hemsworth. Just seems like a common trend to me.” Kurt looks down at the carpet, assessing the words and trying not to let them get to him. He tries not to blow up, but he can feel the heat rising and his blood boiling, and really, he’s not going to let Finn think like that, because it’s not right.

Blaine can feel Kurt’s tension snapping, and Burt looks between Kurt and Carole with panicked eyes, seeing how his son’s fists are clenched so hard his knuckles are white. Blaine strokes down Kurt’s back, trying to telepathically talk to him.  _ It’s okay, Kurt. He loves you. He doesn’t know any better. Just let it go. He didn’t mean to hurt you. _

But then he can see Kurt’s eyes start to get red and teary, and suddenly, a part of him wants Kurt to correct his brother. Show him how what he said hurts- even if he didn’t mean it. Almost as if Kurt senses this, his head snaps back up, and by the look on Finn’s face, he knows he is so fucked.

“Are you shitting me, Finn?” Kurt asks, and Burt mutters  _ Language, Kurt _ from across the room, but there’s no point. Kurt’s already gone. “I had a  _ crush _ on you, which is normal for any teenager. If you replace me with Rachel or Quinn, you’d be fine with me having a crush on you, but I’m a guy, so you’re not okay with it. I never meant any ill intent to you. Ever.”

“I get that, Kurt, but it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like your advances.” Finn responds, and Kurt’s eyes get colder.

“First of all- my  _ advances! _ ? You mean touching your shoulder to comfort you after the whole pregnancy situation? Oh forgive me. Second of all- you never told me to stop.” Blaine grabs Kurt’s hand, if anything to keep him from puncturing his palm with his nails. “The reason I kept going for it, was because you  _ never _ told me to stop, despite me subtly showing you that I was interested in you. 

“We got closer, and I actually considered us to be friends, but if you had just told me from the beginning that you’re not into me that way and politely wanted me to not flirt, then guess what? I would have, because that’s basic human decency!” Kurt shouts, and Finn just stares blankly at him. It’s silent for a moment, before Finn speaks up.

“What about Sam? And the duet? You flirted with him a little too even though you knew he was straight.” 

“Okay, again, first of all, I had no idea Sam was straight. I don’t assume anyone’s sexual orientation until they tell it to me. I had a crush on Blaine from the moment I saw him, but I didn’t know he was gay until afterwards when we talked. Second, Sam was perfectly content to do the duet with me, and it actually sounded really good while we practiced, but you had to get involved. You told him that if he even so much as  _ talked  _ to me outside of glee club, that he’d get beaten.

But again, he didn’t care, because he wanted to sing with me, but you made me feel guilty. You made me feel like I was going to ruin his life just by singing a  _ song _ with him, so I told him to forget it and I sang by myself. For a  _ duet _ project.”

“I’m just saying, dude. Like I’m ok with you being gay, just don’t like… force it on other people.” Finn says nonchalantly. Blaine’s mouth falls open, and Kurt scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“What, like every straight person ever doesn’t force heterosexuality down my throat? I never forced it on anyone. You and Sam and whoever else you think I tried to convert to the gay side has always had a choice, but instead of telling me to stop, you just let it grow and then yelled at me before calling something very important to me ‘faggy’.”

“Kurt…” His father says from the love seat, giving a wary glance at his son. His eyes were still red and glossy, but they were more filled with anger and hurt than they were sadness. Blaine was still rubbing his back and holding his hand, and Burt could tell that what Kurt was saying was true for him too, that this definitely isn’t the first time they’ve dealt with something like this.

“You know what else is bullshit?” Kurt says, ignoring his father, but not looking at Finn anymore either, his eyes darting around the room as his mind reeled and crumpled inside his head. “When I was getting the shit beaten out of me just for having a  _ crush  _ on a guy, no one really gave a shit about it until I transferred to Dalton. You all knew it was happening, but you didn’t do anything about it. Sure, you stood up for me, what, four times in the past two years it was happening?

I would come home with bruises on my shoulders and head from being slammed into lockers and dumpsters every day, and none of you ever gave a shit, but the moment that some straight guy came up to Santana, disrespecting her sexuality by saying he could turn her straight, suddenly everyone is the biggest LGBT+ advocate out there, lining up and defending her. None of the girls feel threatened by her being lesbian either! It’s  _ bullshit _ .” Kurt huffs, squeezing Blaine’s hand, who wipes away one of Kurt’s stray tears with his sleeve.

“Kurt,” Burt says again, this time earning Kurt’s attention. “I know you’re hurt, but lay off your brother, okay? You know he cares about you.”

“You’re not innocent, either, dad.” Kurt shoots out, snapping his gaze to his father.

“And what do you mean by that? You know how much I’ve advocated for you and your rights.” Burt says, warily eying his son.

“I know that, but you’re still not innocent. You took Finn’s side. You chewed me out and told me not to have crushes on people just in case they were straight. You made me feel guilty for having perfectly normal feelings toward someone. Yes, you educated yourself more, and I’m very thankful for that, but I still see it sometimes. The internalized homophobia.” Kurt wipes his eyes and sniffles. “Like that time you came home early and Blaine was on my lap, kissing me? The way you looked at us, almost confused, as if you were trying to figure out if gay people kiss differently than straight people do. That hurts me, even if you don’t realize you’re even doing it. That hurts more because it’s the natural response.”

“I think my point still stands. If straight people don’t wanna be gay they don’t have to, and it is still kinda weird to see you hold hands and stuff because it’s not really…. normal around here, I guess?” Finn says quietly from the chair, and Kurt hides his face in his hands, hiding a broken sob as Carole swats at Finn, chastising him. Kurt looks back up, with fire now blazing in his eyes. The hurt is gone, all that’s left is resentment.

“I know it’s not normal! I’ve heard that plenty of times! In fact, the reason why you never see Blaine and me doing anything more than holding hands and giving light kisses outside of my room, is because of you. All of you.” Kurt shoots out of his seat, still clutching on tight to Blaine’s hand.

“Because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by acting out on my sexuality. I don’t feel comfortable being intimate with my  _ boyfriend _ because I don’t want to make my own family uncomfortable around me, but for some reason I have to watch you and Rachel swap spit and dry hump on the couch and in the school hallways, because you can do so without someone telling you that you deserve to die!” Kurt shouts, and Finn raises his hands defensively.

“I think the reason people bullied you mostly was because you’re so feminine and girly. Like, you’re super girly.” Finn says, and this time Blaine says something.

“Finn, that’s so not true. Sure, Kurt’s pretty feminine, but he’s definitely got masculine appeal. He knows more about cars than anyone I’ve ever met in my life, he knows exactly how a football game works- he just doesn’t care-, when I invited him to go see the Reds play last spring, he got immersed in the game and gave lots of feedback. Not to mention, he’s really strong. He can lift me over his head, did you even know that?” Blaine asks, and Finn shrugs, shaking his head.

"It’s because you never invite me you your ‘dude activities’. It’s always Puckerman or Blaine who invite me down. I love hanging with the girls, but I’m still a boy, and sometimes hanging with other boys and being treated like a normal guy is good.” Kurt sighs, rolling his eyes. “God, fuck this. I can’t be here right now.” Kurt tugs on Blaine’s hand, walking to the door and sliding his shoes on, Blaine following suit.

“Kurt, now where the hell are you going?” Burt calls after Kurt, Carole placing a hand on his knee. 

“Let him go…” She whispers, placing her hand on Burt’s chin to pull his gaze away from the front door as it slams behind Kurt. The three of them sit in silence, Carole knowing that she’s got a lot of talking to give to her son, and a lot of comfort to give to her husband. 

 

***

 

Blaine rubs Kurt’s back as he cries, getting the last of his emotions out. They’re sitting in the trunk of Kurt’s Navigator cuddled under one of the three blankets Kurt keeps in the trunk, the other two resting behind them, the back hatch open so they can look out at the night sky over the fields of the park they decided to stop in. Blaine drove, of course, listening to Kurt’s directions as to where he wanted to go. He hears Kurt sniffle and he sits up, pulling his head out of Blaine’s lap, giving an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Blaine. I know our Friday night sleepovers are supposed to be fun. I just... I don’t know. It hurts knowing that no matter how much they love and accept me, there’ll always be those little bits of homophobic misconceptions that society placed in them. That and when he brought up you and Rachel, it almost sounded like he blamed you or was jealous that Rachel was into you or something, and you were purposefully trying to steal her. It really set me off.” Kurt sniffles again, and Blaine melts into him, nuzzling his face into Kurt’s neck.

“I know, sweetheart. It hurts. I know this month has been hard for you too, with me in the hospital and Dave’s situation. You've been bottling up for a while. You needed a good cry, hm?” Blaine asks, slightly muffled by Kurt’s neck.

“Yeah. I really did.Thanks again for being my rock. I love you so much.” Kurt says softly, wrapping his arms tight around Blaine, placing a kiss on the top of his head.

“I love you too but, I’m curious though…” Blaine asks, sitting up so that he’s facing Kurt, his legs tangled with Kurt’s. “Most of your stuff was aimed at Finn or your dad… What about Carole? I couldn’t ever imagine her doing something homophobic to you.” Blaine says, and Kurt shrugs.

“No, she’s never done anything to me, but I don’t know. Sometimes I feel… weird? Like, it’s good having someone else with feminine energy in the house, but sometimes I feel like she’s surprised by it sometimes. I don’t know. She’s been with- and still is with- men and men alone for the majority of her life. I don’t know if having someone who’s such a stark contrast from Finn is something she’s still getting used to, or if she genuinely questions just how feminine one guy can get.” Kurt shrugs, and Blaine rests his head back on his shoulder.

“I wanted to tell them more about how masculine you were, because sometimes I don’t get how people can’t see it. You’re more the fragile china doll that everyone thinks you are. How you take control. How strong you are, both physically and mentally. How confident you are. How you won’t let anyone fuck with you. How protective you are, not just of me, but all your loved ones. 

“How you tear me apart in the bedroom, reducing me to nothing but a pile of mush, begging for you to take me, have me however you want, then building me back up again and showing me more love than I’ve ever felt in my life.” Blaine sighs, tracing his finger along Kurt’s chest. “You’re the strongest person I know.” Blaine whispers.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Kurt says softly, sighing contently and pressing his lips to Blaine’s forehead, finding comfort in his familiar touch and smell.

“We should head back soon.” Blaine says softly, and Kurt leans further back into the blankets he has fluffed up behind them, tugging Blaine down with him.

“Not yet. Just let me hold you.” Kurt whispers, and Blaine complies, snuggling in closer to Kurt’s chest, listening to the crickets chirp in the tall grass around them, feeling the cold March breeze flow around them.

The serenity doesn’t last forever, though. Kurt checks his phone after a while, realizing that it’s just past midnight. He sighs and nudges Blaine awake. It’s time for them to head back, now. 

When they pull up to the house over an hour after curfew, the living room light is on, and Kurt sighs, knowing full well that his dad is going to be waiting for him, wanting to have a discussion with him. Blaine puts a reassuring hand on his thigh and smiles. Kurt reluctantly smiles back and turns off the car.

When they walk inside and slip their shoes off, sure enough Burt is sitting there, a closed book sitting next to him as he stares at Kurt with soft eyes. Kurt reaches for Blaine’s hand and they walk into the living room, taking a seat on the couch, across from the armchair where Burt’s sitting.

“Kurt, buddy.” Burt starts, and Kurt sighs. When his father calls him buddy, that’s when you know he’s feeling really guilty. “I’m sorry for what went down, and I’m sorry for what Finn said. Carole had a conversation with him about it all, okay?” Burt says, and Kurt shrugs in response.

“It’s fine, I guess.” He says, squeezing Blaine’s hand, feeling comfort in the action being returned.

“Mostly, I’m sorry that you feel uncomfortable in this house. I want you to be able to do whatever you want with Blaine with us around. Maybe not too far- you know I’m always gettin’ at Finn for going too far with Rachel on the couch, but I want you two to be comfortable, I dunno, kissing more, cuddling on the couch. Whatever it is. 

“I never want you to feel like we don’t want to see it, because all I want to see is you happy. And when you’re with Blaine? You’re happy. And someday you two are gonna be off in New York, living and breathing acceptance, but I want this house to be a safe place for you, okay?” Burt asks, and Kurt nods, his eyes beginning to match his father’s own glossy ones. “Alright, well. It’s late. We should get to bed.”

They get up and hug, both of them allowing themselves to let out a tear or two. They pull away and smile at each other for a moment, then Burt waves his goodnight and heads to his room. 

Kurt sighs and walks with Blaine to his room, collapsing into it as soon his his clothes were off. Blaine cuddles into his side, sliding the covers over them, pressing one last kiss to Kurt’s chest before they both drifted off to sleep, the tension from earlier ebbing away as they melted in one anothers embrace.


End file.
